21 And Over Review

A night to forget---Miles Teller, Justin Chon and Skyler Astin as a couple of party boys in 21 And Over
                     It seems like every year we're getting a couple of these. In the last couple of years we've seen the likes of Project X  and The Hangover 2 among others. While the newest film about a couple of jackasses who party a little too much entitled 21 And Over may not be a great film...it will satisfy anyone looking for a leave your brain at the door, laugh yourself silly kind of film. The young, fairly unknown cast is funny and the film itself may not be original but does have a surprising heart to it.

                     The film stars Miles Teller and Skyler Astin as Miller and Casey. They go to visit their straight A student friend Jeff Chan (Justin Chon) and convince him to go to one bar for his 21st birthday. What none of them realize, however, is that this particular night is going to involve much more than just one bar. All the while---Casey falls for Jeff's friend, Nicole (Sarah Wright.)

                     You may know all of these young actors from something else. You may know Teller from his excellent performance in the Chris Penn role in the Footloose remake. You may remember Astin as the love interest for Anna Kendrick from last year's Pitch Perfect and you may know Chon from the Twilight films as Bella's classmate, Eric. Here---they prove to be funny and charming even if they could have been better. Teller has been excellent in so many other things that I was somewhat disappointed by him even if his character was pretty damn funny. Astin is a solid, somewhat straight man. Chon is the breakout here, however. Even though he spends 80% of the movie completely wasted....he's funny. It's hard to act drunk in a film sober because you're not drunk and it's hard to act drunk on screen because you are drunk. I don't know which one Chon was but he's come a long way from the Twilight saga.

                      As I previously mentioned...the film has a good amount of heart as well. It has a surprisingly good message about friendship and trust even if we have seen that message many times before. The film also has some very nice surprising touches. This is not to say that the film isn't completely raunchy and ridicilous. It is and that's what makes it funny. However, I was also surprised at how much I was touched by the development of these characters even if it comes fairly late in the film.

                     You may feel bad for laughing at it as much as you did in the morning but if you're looking for a funny, raunchy, brainless time at the movies that improves upon Project X then 21 And Over is not a hard movie to seek out this weekend.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity, drugs and drinking)